American Idol Buzz
ASong suggestions for movie week
8:02 am April 12, 2011, by Rodney Ho
Come on: somebody sing “Rainbow Connection!”
I will not suggest Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” ”“ to anybody. I promise. And with Pia Toscano out, I guess nobody is going to do Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” (I mean, wasn’t she tailor made for that one?)
Anyway, movie themes are a pretty wide open field though with the downturn in movie soundtrack popularity in recent years, I suspect most songs will come from the 1970s and 1980s.
A good place to peruse song choices is American Film Institute’s top 100 movie songs of all time here.
Jacob Lusk ”“ He could pluck any of a number of cuts from “The Big Chill” soundtrack and recycle Motown. “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” “I Second That Emotion.” He could also opt for Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” (Batman Forever). And for a laugh, how about Boy George’s “The Crying Game” (The Crying Game)?
Haley Reinhart ”“ “Evergreen” by Barbra Streisand. “Somewhere” (West Side Story) would enable her to show off her pipes. She could cheese it up with Irene Cara’s “Fame.” Fantasia did it season 3 for disco week I dare her to do Bonnie Tyler’s ”˜Holding Out For a Hero” (Footloose)
James Durbin – Too bad they’ve already done “Born to Be Wild” (Easy Rider) in that group sing. He’d have fun with that one. Since we just saw him weird out the entire country last week, how about James try Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”? (Trainspotting). Or if he wants to gain cool points, he could go for “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” (Pulp Fiction). Maybe not as cool but fun: “My Sharona” by the Knack (Reality Bites)
Casey Abrams ”“ Given obsession over his beard, how would he do with “Hair”? He does seem like he’d fit right in 1968. He could also have fun with Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” (Risky Business) If he wants to lose all credibility but go out with a bang, I recommend Neil Diamond’s “America” (The Jazz Singer). I’d love to see him do “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (The Full Monty) as long as he doesn’t strip, too.
Paul McDonald ”“ He could do a whispery version of “It Had To Be You.” (When Harry Met Sally). He could also rock out with “Stuck in the Middle With You” (Reservoir Dogs). Given what a bizarrely happy version of “Folsom Prison Blues” he did last week, what if he opted for a chipper version of “Man of Constant Sorrow” (O Brother Where Art Thou) this week?
Lauren Alaina ”“ I would love her to do “Rainbow Connection.” (The Muppet Movie). Paul could do this, too. More likely, she’d pick something like Bette Midler’s “The Rose” (which is far better than “Wind Beneath My Wings”) I could see her doing a sultry version of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” (Pulp Fiction).
Scotty McCreery ”“ It’d be oddly perverse if he did something like “Mrs. Robinson” (The Graduate) with a wink and a smile (and that country twinge.) If he wants to speed things up and go completely outside his comfort zone, he could do “Johnny B Goode” (Back to the Future) And if he wants to show some soul, try Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” (Good Morning, Vietnam), one of my favorite songs of all time.
Stefano Langone ”“ He loves to luxuriate in cheese so he should bathe in “Arthur’s Theme.” (Russell Brand could even come back for some extra promo of his current version!) And if he wants to emote and connect, try Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” (Say Anything)
There are some soundtrack songs that have already been signature songs for past “Idols.” Kat McPhee’s “Over the Rainbow” (Wizard of Oz.). Fantasia’s ”˜Summertime” (Porgy & Bess). “Stand By Me” (David Archuleta.)
